A metal conductor or rail used to carry electricity and connect multiple electrical devices or circuits in a power system.
Compound of 'bus' (short for 'omnibus,' suggesting something that serves many) and 'bar' (a conducting rod). The term originated in electrical engineering in the late 19th century.
The term 'bus' in electronics comes from the Latin 'omnibus' meaning 'for all'—electrical engineers borrowed this to describe conductors serving multiple components, a naming choice that shows how technical fields create poetry from mundane Latin.
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